http://www.jewishworldreview.com --
IN AMERICAN POLITICS, the only thing more amazing than the Democrats are
the Republicans.

How are the Democrats amazing? Let me count the ways.

Whether it is petroleum, housing or teachers, Democrats restrict the supply
and are then astonished at the inevitable bad consequences. It is not a
breakthrough on the frontiers of economics to say that supply and demand
influence prices. But it always catches liberal Democrats by surprise -- and
they always manage to blame someone else for it.

Who is against drilling for oil offshore or in many other locations?
Liberal Democrats like Al Gore. Who is shocked and outraged that gasoline
prices are rising? Liberal Democrats.

When OPEC restricts the oil supply, we all understand that gasoline prices
rise as a result. But when Democrats restrict the oil supply, it comes as a
big surprise that gasoline prices rise.

California liberal Democrats are in charge of state and local governments,
almost down to the dog catchers. They impose costly restrictions and
requirements on gasoline over and beyond those of the federal government.

Then they are outraged that gasoline costs more in California than in other
states.

It is the same story with housing. Liberal Democrats love to restrict the
supply of land on which housing can be built, in the name of "open spaces,"
"quality of life" and the like. They also impose restrictions and costs on
builders. Yet who makes the most noise about a lack of "affordable housing"?
You guessed it.

We are now starting to hear noises from the teachers' unions about an
impending "teacher shortage" -- and of course whatever they say is dutifully
echoed by the Democrats, who are beholden to them for both money and
election-night manpower in the precincts.

Why do we not hear about this terrible teacher shortage from the private
schools? Because the private schools are not subject to the same
restrictions on supply that the public schools are -- restrictions created
and defended at all costs by Democrats.

Private schools can hire anyone who can teach, whether or not they have
taken courses in schools or departments of education. These mind-numbing
courses in education are a tariff barrier that keeps out many people with
real education, who would be tough competition for those currently teaching
in the public schools.

The question is always posed as to how it is possible to attract more
people into the public schools. The answer that both the teachers' unions
and the Democrats want is more money. But that has already been tried for
decades and all that it has produced is more expensive incompetence.

You can create an artificial shortage of anything -- whether teachers or
land fill -- just by restricting the supply. This is not rocket science. It
is politics.

Why are the Republicans so amazing? Because they let the Democrats get away
with complete misstatements of these and other issues that the general
public could understand -- if only someone would take the trouble to explain
it to them.

Republicans seem to be determined to be the strong silent types. Explaining
the obvious seems to have no attraction for them. Coordinating what they say
among themselves is even less likely to happen with Republicans.

Among Democrats, whether in the White House or on capitol hill, whether big
pooh-bahs or lowly staffers, they say the same things in the same words.

Whether it is "tax cuts for the rich" or "it does not rise to the level of
impeachment," they are all on the same page.

Republicans aren't even in the same book. When they come on the air, they
sound as if this is the first time they have ever thought about what they
are going to say. They all fumble for different words.

Nor is there any sign that the Republicans are even aware that a lack of
articulation is one of their biggest problems. Like most problems, it is not
likely to be solved until after you become aware of it.

What can the Republicans do? It is hard to imagine anything that they are
likely to do.

Perhaps they could get Rush Limbaugh to conduct a communications boot camp
for Republicans and give a swift kick in the behind to anyone who uses
mealy-mouth words or lapses into Beltway jargon. Extreme? Yes. But desperate
problems sometimes call for desperate
measures.